Tag Archives: wembley

Pep talk! City and Arsenal miss out on Gotze as Bayern close in on 32m deal

By
David Kent

PUBLISHED:

05:53 GMT, 23 April 2013

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UPDATED:

07:09 GMT, 23 April 2013

Arsenal and Manchester City look to have missed on Borussia Dortmund star Mario Gotze after reports in Germany claimed he has agreed to join Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.

The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the most coveted talents in Europe but it is the Bavarian giants who look to have won the race after triggering the forward's €37million (32m) release clause.

The Germany international has, according to Bild, already signed a long-term deal with $7m a year (6m).

All smiles: Mario Gotze (right) is reportedly set to join Bayern Munich in the summer

Gotze, who could face his new employees in the Champions League final at Wembley on May 25, has scored 14 goals for his club this season and has won 22 caps for Germany.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had been prepared to finally splash the cash this summer and meet the Gotze's clause but he will now have to look elsewhere.

The youngster had looked set to remain at the Westfalenstadion
for another year having apparently set his sights on a move to Barcelona.

Main man: Gotze (left) has been tracked by the biggest clubs in Europe including Manchester City

‘I am very happy at Dortmund and
satisfied with the way we are progressing as a team,’ he said earlier this month. ‘Any
thoughts about playing for another team are very much for the future,
but Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United could be interesting.

'But I'm not thinking of that at the moment.

'I'm happy in Dortmund and very happy how things are going. Therefore, it is still a bit away'

Rafa Benitez has dismissed claims that David Luiz is in line to replace John Terry as the long-term captain of Chelsea.

Terry was left out of Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City at the weekend and has missed a number games this season.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech led the side in Terry’s absence at Wembley on Sunday, but Luiz has been cited as a possible long-term replacement.

Future leader: Rafa Benites has played down talk of David Luiz being Chelsea captain

But Benitez played down the suggestion saying he did not want to praise the Brazilin too much.

‘I don’t want to talk about the future when we’re involved in top four challenge and Europa League. He’ one of the important players we have, there are others, I don’t want to give too much credit to him. He is a key player and will be in the future.’

FA General Secretary Alex Horne told BBC Sport earlier this week: ‘I always thought it was an ideal piece of technology to allow into the game. The (Premier League) club meeting is on Thursday so I'm expecting it to go through at that meeting.’

‘There are occasions (when GLT is needed) and we've seen them here at Wembley, we've seen them in World Cups, we've seen them 11 or 12 times in the Premier League this season alone.

Over Geoff Hurst scores England's controversial third goal in the 1966 World Cup final

EXCLUSIVE: Wilshere in race to be fit for England after being ruled out of Arsenal's showdown with Bayern

By
Sami Mokbel

PUBLISHED:

22:25 GMT, 11 March 2013

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UPDATED:

00:09 GMT, 12 March 2013

Jack Wilshere could miss England’s crucial World Cup qualifying double header against San Marino and Montenegro.

Arsenal’s brilliant midfielder is out of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Bayern Munich after failing to recover from the ankle injury he collected in the 2-1 defeat by Spurs nine days ago.

He will be left behind when the team flies to Bavaria today, and is not expected to recover in time for Saturday’s vital trip to Swansea.

Injury doubt: Jack Wilshere is in a race to be fit for England's trips to San Marino and Montenegro

Blow: Jack Wilshere is set to miss Arsenal's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich through injury

That puts England boss Roy Hodgson on a collision course with Gunners manager Arsene Wenger yet again over picking the 21-year-old for his country.

Hodgson names his squad on Thursday, and will want Wilshere in his side after his talismanic performance in last month’s friendly against Brazil – especially for the must-win trip to face Group H leaders Montenegro.

But Wenger, who sent the player on a mid-season break to Dubai to aid his recovery, will fear that he could break down on international duty and miss his club’s critical fight to retain their Champions League status for another season.

The Arsenal manager was angry last month that his star player was on the field for the full 90 minutes against Brazil at Wembley, when he believed he had an agreement that he would not play the entire game.

He also clashed with Hodgson in November over his selection for the squad for a friendly against Sweden when he had only just recovered from an injury sustained on Arsenal’s pre-season trip to America.

And England Under 21 coach Stuart Pearce also bowed to pressure from the Gunners to leave him out of his squad for last summer’s tournament.

Wenger has other injury problems as his side got to Munich searching for a way to overturn their 3-1 deficit from the first leg.

Bacary Sagna is out after failing to recover from a knee problem and is also a major doubt for Saturday’s trip to The Liberty Stadium.

Setback: Wilshere could be out for a few weeks

It will leave the Gunners being forced to rush back Kieran Gibbs who has missed six weeks with a thigh injury.

With Nacho Monreal cup tied, Sagna's injury leaves Wenger short of defensive options for the clash against Jupp Heynckes men.

If the Gunners decide not to risk Gibbs, they are likely to line-up with a back-four of Carl Jenkinson, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen, the club's only available recognised defenders for the clash at the Allianz Arena.

However, the Gunners have been boosted by news that Bayern forward Franck Ribery will miss the second leg with an ankle injury.

Ricky Burns has reportedly become the latest boxer to leave promoter Frank Warren.

The Scottish world lightweight champion has become increasingly frustrated after his unification fight with Miguel Vazquez was rescheduled for April 20.

Burns, 29, had been due to face the Mexican on March 16 at Wembley Arena but Warren released a doctor's certificate which claimed Vazquez was suffering from food poisoning.

Quit: World champion Ricky Burns has left promoter Frank Warren

Alex Morrison, Burns' manager, said: 'I regret it has come to this because I have known Frank for nearly 40 years, but it has to be for Ricky's sake.

'I felt we had to do something to stop Ricky stagnating. Two fights have been called off after he has trained hard for them and it was not even certain that the bout with Vazquez would have gone ahead on April 20.

'In fact, I now doubt very much that fight was ever going to happen. Vazquez was supposed to be sick but five days later I'm told he was seen sparring in the States.

Split: Burns with Warren

'There were also a lot of issues I wanted settled before Ricky fought again and these were not concluded satisfactorily. I'm quite sorry this has happened, but I have to safeguard Ricky's future and he feels himself that he now wants to move in another direction.'

Burns has not fought since he stopped Kevin Mitchell in Glasgow in September and was left disappointed when first Liam Walsh and then Jose Ocampo pulled out of a proposed bout in December.

Should his departure be confirmed, Burns will follow in the footsteps of George Groves who defected to Matchroom earlier this week after pulling out his European super-middleweight title fight with Mohamed Ali Ndiaye.

Kell Brook, Tony Bellew and James Degale have also left Warren's stable in recent years.

A spokesman for the promoter declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline this morning.

Let's get the party started! Swansea players hit the town to celebrate cup final victory

By
Riath Al-samarrai

PUBLISHED:

12:01 GMT, 25 February 2013

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UPDATED:

16:06 GMT, 25 February 2013

Swansea City's Capital One Cup stars descended on one of central London's most exclusive drinking spots last night after crushing Bradford at Wembley.

Michael Laudrup's side celebrated their 5-0 win into the early hours, with most of the squad heading to their Hilton hotel base at Wembley for a post-match meal with wives, girlfriends and family before a smaller group headed to West End club Whisky Mist at 11.30pm.

Out on the town: Swansea players party in London after their Capital One Cup victory over Bradford

Guest of honour Muamba will hand Capital One Cup to winners at Wembley, almost a year after he suffered a heart attack

PUBLISHED:

10:08 GMT, 23 February 2013

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UPDATED:

10:08 GMT, 23 February 2013

Fabrice Muamba will present the Capital One Cup to the winning captain in Sunday's Wembley final between Swansea and Bradford.

The retired 24-year-old will be the sponsor's guest of honour for the day and will also watch the game from the Royal Box, as well as being introduced to the squads before the game.

The former England Under-21 international was playing for Bolton in an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham last March when he suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed.

Guest of honour: Fabrice Muamba will be in the Royal Box at Wembley to hand the trophy to the Capital One Cup winners

The midfielder's heart stopped beating for 78 minutes but because of the prompt treatment he received on the pitch he defied the odds to survive and make an incredible recovery.

Although he hoped to resume his career, he was advised against it by doctors and retired from the sport in August.

Retired: Former Bolton star Muamba was forced to quit football after he suffered a heart attack on the pitch at Whit Hart Lane against Tottenham in the FA Cup last March (below)

Capital One will also be making a
donation to the Hearts and Goals campaign, which is involved with aiming
to raise awareness and give communities across the country access to
defibrillators, as well as CPR and defibrillator training.

Muamba, who is involved with the charity, said: 'It's been such an exciting tournament this year and it will be a great honour to be presenting the trophy to the winners. I know it will be a very special atmosphere on Sunday.'

Roy Hodgson does not expect another English triumph in the Champions League this year, claiming his favourites for the title come from Spain and Germany.

Hodgson has picked Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as his top tips to lift the European Cup at Wembley in May, dismissing Arsenal and Manchester United’s hopes.

Speaking to an Italian newspaper, the England manager also said he had been impressed by the progress made at Juventus since their return to the top.

Vital: Danny Welbeck scored a crucial away goal against Real Madrid

head boy: Cristiano Ronaldo levelled the scores at the Bernabeu last week

‘My favourites are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern,’ said Hodgson. ‘Juventus is working well, too.’

Juve are virtually into the last eight after winning 3-0 at Celtic in the first leg of their last-16 encounter but he does not rate the chances of Arsenal, who take on Bayern Munich at the Emirates tonight, or Manchester United, runaway Barclays Premier League leaders, who drew 1-1 with Real in Madrid last week.

‘Arsenal and Manchester United have been unlucky with the draw,’ said Hodgson, during a lengthy interview with Gianfelice Facchetti, son of legendary Inter Milan defender Giacinto, who died in seven years ago.

His views are in line with the fear that the Premier League clubs have lost their stranglehold having dominated Europe for a few years.

Tough times: Arsene Wenger must mastermind a win over Bayern Munich

Fancied: Roy Hodgson has backed Bayern Munich to beat Arsenal

In 2008, three of the four Champions League semi-finalists were from England but this year, for the second successive season, only two have qualified for the last 16.

Despite this and his acceptance that there is a diminishing pool of homegrown talent in the Premier League, Hodgson told Gazzetta’s Extra Time that he was optimistic about the future for the national team.

‘The win against Brazil was very important,’ said the England boss. ‘I am confident we can improve. We are finding the right balance between the old and new generations.

Jack Wilshere is a fantastic talent for the future. He lost a year through injuries but he is fit.’

Top tips: Hodgson has also backed Barcelona and Juventus to impress

He also said England fans were pleased to see an Englishman at the helm after the years under Fabio Capello and Sven Goran Eriksson.

‘The fans are happy and I suppose it is because the English team have an English manager and optimism is good because we have some young players,’ said Hodgson.

‘We had good managers but I think in a country with such important football history as England, Italy or Germany, the fans are more critical with a foreign manager. I knew this was the reality because I was national team coach in foreign countries.’

FA Cup underdogs have been having a ball – but that could be about to change…

By
Simon Cass

PUBLISHED:

15:16 GMT, 18 February 2013

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UPDATED:

17:32 GMT, 18 February 2013

It is not just the balls that come out of the bag that those teams intent on FA Cup giant-killing will be concerned about.

Championship sides Blackburn, Millwall, Barnsley and Middlesbrough, along with League One Oldham, are all still dreaming of a trip to Wembley and a semi-final encounter with one of the Barclays Premier League big boys.

But with goalkeepers already having had to contend with an unpredictable Umbro FA Cup ball, those stoppers from further down the league now face the disadvantage of having to get used to the flight of the Nike Premier League ball from the final four of the competition onwards.

Cup Magic: But Colin Kazim-Richards' Blackburn Rovers, who knocked out Premier League Arsenal on Saturday, may have trouble with the Premier League ball, used in the FA Cup semi-finals onwards

Unpredictable: Goalkeepers have had to get used to the ball for the earlier rounds, the Umbro Neo 2

As part of the FA’s megabucks deal with Nike, from the semi-final of the Cup the ball used will be a de-branded version of the Maxim, which Premier League strikers have been lashing into the net all season and which top-flight keepers have been tipping around the post.

Having spent hours on the training ground trying to get to grips with the Umbro Neo 2 used so far in the competition, Football League keepers must now familiarise themselves with the Nike ball whose flight is second nature to the Premier League counterparts.

MK Dons goalkeeping coach, Paul Heald, who watched his keeper David Martin ship in three in Saturday’s defeat by Barnsley, explained: ‘We work all year with a certain match ball but for cup games we use Umbro balls which are totally different, move differently and have a different texture to them. Some people don’t realise that it is a big difference.

‘All the balls are made slightly
differently. The Premier League balls are different to the Football League
balls but the FA Cup balls just seem to travel quicker.

'They have got a
little bit more bounce and they shoot off the surface, especially on
wet surfaces, and move a lot sharper.

‘The
balls are different every year and the manufactures try and keep it
interesting. Even the way the leather is cut, the design is to make the
ball unpredictable.

'I take my hats off to young keepers. It is great for
the strikers and supporters but it is an absolute nightmare for
goalkeepers.’

All change: Any lower league side facing Robin van Persie in the semi-final will have to deal with the same ball, pictured above, that he has scored with 19 times in the Premier League this season

There were
presumably plenty of sleepless nights for goalkeepers over the weekend
as 25 goals were scored in seven matches, suggesting the preparation on
the training pitch had not gone according to plan despite there being no
limit on how much you can practice with the ball.

Umbro’s technical specifications of their Neo 2 claim it features ‘just 14 panels to offer larger strike zones and a smoother, more accurate flight.’ Nike, by comparison, claim their Maxim’s Geo II Balanced technology ‘distributes pressure evenly for consistency and accuracy’ while it also features a ‘carbon-latex bladder for acceleration and superior air retention.’

But despite such space age technology, Heald certainly feels the advantage lies with the strikers in the modern game.

He said: ‘We have a laugh and a joke amongst keepers and say that outfield players, all they do is close their eyes, keep their head down, hit and hope and the ball does the rest.

'We say that all they do is swing the leg and hit the ball and the art is really in the goalkeeping.’